Dear School Community:
St. Mary’s County Public Schools will open on time, Thursday, September 1st. As you know, Hurricane Irene impacted St. Mary’s County directly causing considerable concerns and damages for our entire community. As a result of the impact of the storm, our schools were closed for 3 days. After consulting with our operational staff, county officials, and the sheriff’s office – we have decided it is time to open our schools and return our students to a level of normalcy.
All of our schools have been inspected and they are completely safe for student and staff occupancy. Even though an incredible amount of work has been done to clear roads and take trees off power and phone lines, there is still much to do. I, like you, hold the safety of our children as our primary responsibility, so I ask that you take time today to review your child’s bus stop and plan accordingly if it is compromised due to storm damage. Please know that buses may have to alter the routes and stops as necessary.
Additionally, we recognize that some of our students may not be able to attend school due to their own personal situation as it relates to the storm. Absences for students who fall into this category for Thursday and Friday will be coded as lawful, in consideration of those families without the resources to contact the school. Finally, liberal and flexible consideration will be given for any and all make-up work so that it does not place any additional stress or burden on our students. Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to recover as a total community and our thoughts and deep felt concerns go out to all of our families who experienced any form of loss from the storm.
Sincerely,
–>
